Burning for You
by Wicked-sama
Summary: Zero and Kaname have long since parted ways leaving the ex-human emotionally destroyed. Now Zero is out to kill the Vampire King and will not stop til he achieves his goal, even if he loses his own life in the process.Kaname/Zero & Kaito/Zero, Now Yaoi!
1. Chapter 1No Home

This story is AU and the characters may seem OOC but I will do my best to keep them as true to the manga characters as possible. Also, this story has implied yaoi but no real action, sorry! This is the first fanfic I have attempted so I hope you all like it and give me constructive criticism/feedback. I will post as often as I can but have a rather busy life so please try to be patient with me. I am not going to hold chapters hostage for reviews but I would like opinions if you are willing to give them. This story is inspired by the song "Burning for You" by Blue Oyster Cult and occasionally I will use lyrics from the song as they pertain to the plot. On with the show now and please enjoy!

_Italics=flashback_

Burning for You

Chapter 1

No Home

Home in the valley  
>Home in the city<br>Home isn't pretty  
>Ain't no home for me<p>

"Burning for You" by Blue Oyster Cult

Zero rolled over in bed, blocking the sun with an arm thrown lazily across his eyes. He had another late night and just could not bring himself to face the day yet. His relentless pursuit of the band of E's had taken him until after three A.M. There was no denying that his current lifestyle was taking its toll. His body ached, there were permanent dark circles under his eyes, and he was thin to the point of near emaciation.

Moving his arm away he glanced at the clock. It was now nine A.M. and time for him to get up for his day job. He was working days at a small café as a cook. He actually enjoyed it since he had little dealings with people (other than the staff) and it kept his mind off of things he would rather not think about. The café had an excellent menu and was quite popular due to the exceptional food and service. Every Thursday Zero worked a double shift and stayed until two A.M. baking special pastries that were only available on Fridays. This, of course, made it the busiest day of the week since Zero's treats were unlike anything most of the customers had ever tasted. Luckily, Zero did not have to come in those days since he worked the whole previous day and all night.

As luck would have it, today was Thursday. After hunting all night and getting about four hours of sleep, he would have to work into the wee hours of the next morning. Sighing, he moved to sit up, wincing as he felt the pain throughout various places on his body. All the cuts had healed, but he could tell there were still mending ribs, and his muscles were almost screaming as he stood at last. He took a step and groaned in pain, reaching for the painkillers on the night stand. Bottle in hand, he headed for the bathroom for a hot shower.

He entered the bathroom and immediately turned on the water as hot as he would be able to stand it. Zero slowly stripped out of his clothing from the night before, wrinkling his nose at the sight of the gore that remained behind from the hunt. He relieved himself, took a small handful of painkillers, and then stepped into the steaming shower. He hung his head low and let the water pelt his back, relaxing the tense muscles in his neck and shoulders. He stayed this way for a few minutes before reaching for the bar of soap and washed his body. Finishing up, he shut off the water and exited the shower, grabbing a fluffy towel to wrap around his waist and another to dry his hair. He had relaxed some but still felt the ache is his body. He headed out of the bathroom and to the kitchen for some blood tablets. Standing at the kitchen sink with a glass of water in his hand, he gazed around his humble dwelling. It was just a roof over his head, not a home. Zero no longer had a home.

His current residence was a small, one bedroom apartment that looked as Spartan-ly furnished his dorm room at Cross had. Zero felt little need for anything beyond basic living necessities. There was a small couch against the wall on one side of his living room, which faced the old TV and radio on a low shelf, opposite the sofa. A small table and a worn chair in the corner completed the living room. His kitchen was small, running along the wall to the right of his entry way. It had a few cupboards over head and below, a small sink, a refrigerator, and a three burner stove. For seating a tall table and two bar stools worked just fine for him.

He had little company other than Cross, Yagari and more frequently, Kaito Takamiya. Zero was more than aware that Kaito was checking up on him per the request of his respective "fathers". Cross and Yagari worried about him constantly because of the way he had been living for the past six years. It drove him closer to insanity than he was managing on his own, so he finally snapped one day and told them in no uncertain terms to stop mothering him, because contrary to popular belief he did NOT have a death wish. He knew it hurt them but he had to remain distant, or he was worried he would start caring again; about more than his small handful of people that stayed by him, at least. And he could not afford to care anymore. Zero was dead inside, a husk of the man he once was, before his whole world finally shattered beyond what he ever imagined it would. He needed to be dead inside to finish what he set out to do.

He had to kill Kaname Kuran. His pride would not allow him to let the pureblood live. He loved Kaname with all of his soul at one time and the man had completely ruined him. Had taken more than Zero even thought he had left in him to give. What Kaname had done was unforgivable.

_Eight years ago…_

_No one knew about the taboo relationship between Zero and Kaname. It began when Kaname forced his blood on Zero in the dungeon at Cross Academy. Had Kaname known where this exchange would lead, he would never have offered the ex-human his blood in the first place. This one act would seal them in a bond of blood stronger than the hate each felt for the other._

_Once Zero had finally sunk his fangs into the pureblood vampire's neck, it was over. They would not be parted for the next two years. Zero had drunk too much and Kaname , lost in the ecstasy of the feeling of his blood being taken in such a violent, yet intimate, way called to the vampire inside him. As Zero jerked his fangs free only to bite down harshly again Kaname gave in to his vampiric nature and sunk his fangs into Zero's strong neck, growling as the boy's blood burst into his mouth. It was amazing for both of them and before long they were sharing bloody kisses and tearing the clothes off of one another, their bodies soon writhing together on the cold, stone floor. Zero was horrified afterward and tried to avoid Kaname as much as possible. His attitude toward the pureblood grew nastier than ever; glares during change-over had grown to show a slight tinge of red in his eyes from the barely contained rage Zero felt toward him. Yet, even though he hated Kaname with all of his being, the bond drew him to the pureblood again and again. Somehow his hate began to diminish, only to turn into something else entirely. He fell in love with the arrogant, insatiable beast in human form, the pureblood king of vampires, Kaname Kuran. _

_Kaname on the other hand was smitten from the first moment they bonded through blood and body. Zero's blood was like nothing he had ever tasted, even better than the highest of vampires Kaname had taken blood from. None had ever made him feel like Zero did. His blood was like nectar and Kaname could play the ex-human's body like it was the finest instrument, as if it had been made just for him. Afterward Zero would leave almost immediately. The first months left Kaname feeling cold and bleak. He did not know how to break through walls his lover had put up after his brother's betrayal, and death of his family that left him as the very creature he was trained to hunt and kill. He was not sure the boy would ever get over it. Kaname was determined to help him try, even if Zero did not recognize that as being his motive. _

_Zero hated these couplings and himself more for not being able to deny the pureblood his body, nor his blood. Somehow though, Kaname was able to slowly draw Zero out of his self hatred and despair, back to the world of the living. Really, the pureblood had always thought that Zero was dealt a crap hand in life, and was happy to be a reason for the ex-human hunter to want to live. He treasured Zero, treating him like a priceless jewel, making Zero come to realize his own worth. He encouraged him to pursue his hunter training and often accompanied him on missions. He was amazed at what a capable hunter Zero really was and knowing that he was more than worthy of even the deadliest of missions the association would assign to him. _

_They were in love. They were happy. Zero believed they had a future together. And then one day, Kaname was gone and Zero's mended heart shattered into millions of pieces. _

Zero shook his head to clear his thoughts. Bringing up the past was excruciating but it only made his resolve stronger.

"Oh yeah," he mused. "I am burning for you, Kaname. "

Far away in a cold mansion a certain pureblood stirred from sleep. He felt the strong hatred burning through the bond he still shared with his ex-human, ex-lover. A tear rolled down his cheek. This was not how he had wanted nor imagined how things would turn out.

"Soon my love, we will meet again for the last time. Oh how I long to see the fire in your beautiful, amethyst eyes, just once more", Kaname thought as he willed himself back to sleep.

A/N There will be more flash backs in the story explain their past and why they ended up in the current situation. I am still working on the outline for this tale but have a good idea where it will go, just need to add the meat! I hope you liked it and will have more for you soon. Thanks for reading!

Wicked-sama

4 May 2011

Word count 1633


	2. Chapter 2Time I'll Never Know

Hello again! I bet you did not expect to see me so soon. I am amazed at how much traffic this story has gotten in such a short time! I hope that at least some of you read it though I suspect you saw "implied yaoi" in the first chapter and clicked the back button LOL. It is ok, I am not offended if that is the case. I am changing the rating to M and have decided there will be yaoi "snippets" in this story. Mostly because apparently lack of sleep wakes up my inner Yaoinista and she refused to go back to sleep which is why I am writing another chapter at 6:30 in the freakin morning. Sorry for the long intro but now we can move on into the story. Oh and my first ever lemon is in this chapter, I do hope you enjoy and I hope it does not totally suck.

Disclaimer: If I owned Vampire Knight I would not be broke and it would be PWP all the time. Ok MOST of the time tee hee

Burning for You

Chapter 2

Time I'll Never Know

Time everlasting  
>Time to play besides<br>Time ain't on my side  
>Time I'll never know<p>

Zero grabbed his blood tablets and took a large handful with a gulp of water then set his empty glass in the sink. He went to his bedroom, drying his still dripping hair some on the way. He had grown his hair out to look like Ichiru's several years back. He wore it down most of the time he was not at work or out hunting. Turning toward the small dresser, Zero pulled out clean jeans, a t-shirt, underwear and socks then headed to the closet for his chefs jacket, tossing it all onto the bed. He sat on the edge, still toweling his hair dry. Tossing the towel to the side he laid back on the bed with his legs still hanging over the edge. He sighed as he thought of the long day and night ahead of him.

He got back up and dressed himself slowly then walked over to the nightstand and opened the drawer. Inside was a picture of him and Kaname from the beginning of the second and final year they spent together. They were in a garden at night and Zero was standing near a rose bush when a firefly lit up in front of his face. He was unaware that Takuma was snapping pictures almost as enthusiastically as Cross would have been or that Kaname was watching him raptly, the look of adoration clear on his face. There was a tiny smile on Zero's face and the light of the tiny bug was enough to make his eyes sparkle. They both looked very happy and the love radiating off of Kaname could never be mistaken as anything else. Zero kept only this picture from their relationship. He kept this particular photo because it made him remember how he felt that night. It was the first time Zero realized he was happy at long last.

_7 Years Ago…_

"_Zero please?" Kaname pleaded with his lover. "It will only be the night class nobles. We only need to stay for a couple of hours."_

"_No. I would rather pluck out my eyelashes one by one than hang around with those idiot vampires," he stated from where he stood looking out the window._

_Kaname came up behind him and pulled him against his chest, arms around the younger boy's waist as he trailed light kisses down his lover's neck. _

"_Please?" he murmured into the soft skin, not ready to give up just yet._

_Zero relaxed in his arms and his head fell to the side as Kaname continued his tender ministrations to the ex-human's collarbone. _

_Zero sighed and knew that he had lost. He had never been able to deny Kaname anything. Even during the rocky start of their relationship. He turned in his older lovers arms and kissed him softly on the lips then pulled back to look into beautiful, garnet eyes. _

"_Just this once Kaname, I mean it," he agreed sternly._

_Kaname smiled brilliantly and kissed Zero back, his tongue running along the younger boys lips in an attempt to deepen the kiss. Zero responded immediately, opening his mouth and letting his own tongue meet tentatively with his lover's. Kaname moaned lightly into the kiss and pulled Zero closer to his body as he guided them toward the bed. Gently pushing Zero back onto the bed he paused to grab the lube from the nightstand. He knew Zero would never have let him get him into bed if he did not mean to let Kaname have his way with him. Zero blushed and ducked his head to hide the embarrassment in his eyes behind his silver fringe. Kaname saw this and laughed softly at his lover's shyness. _

_Kaname leaned down to kiss the silverette again, this time slowly undoing the buttons on the younger vampire's shirt. He trailed his kisses down to Zero's jaw, gently running his tongue along the spot just behind his ear that drove his lover wild. Zero was always so responsive to Kaname's every touch. It embarrassed him immensely but once his lover was running his hands all over his body Zero felt like he was on fire, burning in his skin and only Kaname knew how to put the fire out. _

_He gasped as he felt Kaname's tongue circling his nipple until it hardened and he pinched the other one softly between his fingers. Zero began rocking his hips up against Kaname's arousal, causing the pureblood to groan softly and pull back from the kiss. _

"_Zero…" he whispered. "Do you know what you do to me?"_

"_D-d- don't say stupid things, idiot" he replied with a husky voice. _

_Kaname chuckled and took Zero's lips once again. They were both rocking their hips in time by now but Zero was becoming impatient. Sometimes, he knew, Kaname loved to tease him. Getting him so geared up it was almost painful before finally taking him thoroughly and leading them both to incredible releases. Zero was not in the mood to wait this time though. He ached to feel his lover moving inside of him; so much that he was already leaking pre cum from his hardened cock and could feel the need to join with his lover almost desperately. So to get his way he did the one thing that would make Kaname lose it. He ran his tongue over the purebloods bite area. Kaname responded beautifully, growling lowly and tilting his head to the side to allow better access. Zero continued to lick and nip while his lover began panting, anticipating the bite. As he scraped his aroused fangs across the creamy, white skin, he smirked before plunging his fangs in to the hilt. It sent an electrified jolt of pleasure straight to the older vampire's groin as his lover's fangs claimed him at last. Kaname slammed his hips into Zero's and frantically began trying to remove their clothes, wanting nothing more than to bury his throbbing cock deeply into the searing heat of Zero's most intimate place. _

_Finally he had divested them both of their clothing and gave a couple of gentle strokes to Zero's length. He ran his thumb over the slit causing Zero to pull his fangs free and moan lowly while he bucked up into Kaname's hand. _

"_Ngh…please….Kaname…stop teasing!" He gasped. _

_Kaname released his lover's member and kissed him while opening the lube and coating his fingers. He ran a finger lightly around the tight circle of muscle before gently sliding it inside. He moved slowly, knowing it would drive Zero crazy but determined to give him the ultimate pleasure. The finger moved in and out a few times and then Kaname added a second, gently scissoring them to loosen the tight passage. Finally he added the third and soon Zero was panting and trying to impale himself on Kaname's fingers. Kaname pulled his fingers out while spreading lube on himself, preparing to enter his willing lover._

_Lining himself up with Zero's entrance, Kaname gazed at his lovers face as he began to slowly push his member into the searing hot, twitching hole. The younger boy needed to be filled and Kaname was going too slow for him so he grabbed Kaname's hips and pushed his own up at the same time, gasping as he was suddenly filled by his lover. Kaname's eyes flashed red and he stopped all movement in an attempt to make the session last. _

"_Move Kaname," Zero ordered, "Now!"_

_Kaname was never one to refuse his lover anything so of course he obliged by pulling almost all the way out and then gently pushing partway back in, stopping just shy of hitting the younger boy's prostate. Zero growled at him, earning a low, breathy laugh from the pureblood. Kaname repeated this action a few times until Zero had finally had enough of the teasing._

"_God dammit Kuran! FUCK ME NOW!" He yelled at his idiotic, vampire lover._

_It was almost enough to send Kaname over the edge. He pulled out and slammed back in at the perfect angle to hit the younger boy's prostate dead on. And he kept at it while Zero rocked his hips up to meet every deep thrust. Zero held on to the headboard to gain more leverage with which to take Kaname as deeply as possible. Kaname's hand reached down and took hold of Zero's weeping member, stroking him in time with his thrusts. A keening noise started coming from the boy below him, signaling that he was close to his release. Kaname pounded into him even harder, feeling the muscles inside of Zero clamping around his cock. He was almost there but wanted his lover to come first. He jerked the boy's cock a few more times and watched his lover come undone beautifully below him, his hot come spurting across both of their bellies, and he could hold back no longer. He threw his head back and thrust erratically a few more times before he shot his hot load of come balls-deep into his lovers quivering passage and then collapsed, out of breath on top of the other boy. _

_After they had caught their breath Kaname lifted his head and gazed at Zero, brushing his hair out of his eyes._

"_I love you, Zero." He said._

_Zero blushed a brilliant red and his eyes flew open in surprise. This was the first time Kaname had told him that. His heart was so full he thought it might just burst. He finally knew what happiness felt like again. He realized he loved the pureblood too. Tears came to his eyes as he processed all of his feelings._

"_You do?" was the whispered question._

"_Yes, Zero, so very much" was the whispered response._

"_I-I love you t-t too, Kaname," Zero struggled to reply._

_The resulting smile and tears shimmering in Kaname's eyes would never be forgotten by Zero. _

As he gazed at the picture, remembering the events that had led up to it and the happiness he had felt his gaze turned bitter. That was the night Kaname told him he loved him for the first time. And Zero had believed him. He still did though he could not for the life of him figure out why. There was more to Kaname leaving him the way he did than the pureblood had ever let on and Zero was determined to find out what before finally taking the bastard's life.

He shoved the picture back into the drawer and slammed it shut. The silverette half heartedly brushed his hair and finished getting ready for work. He grabbed his keys and scanned his small apartment for anything he may have missed. Seeing nothing he headed out to work with one thing on his mind.

"Time I'll never know, indeed," he thought to himself.

"How can you possibly know something when everything it was based on was a lie?" he wondered. More than anything he wanted to know why this had all happened. And he would find out, even if it killed him to do so.

A/N Ok so my son is my proofreader and I just cannot bring myself to ask him to look at this, hopefully you can understand why. Also you may want to thank my first ever reviewer, ben4kevin, who made the case for yaoi. Consider this chapter dedicated to you in honor of being my FF review and thanks for taking the time. I am not a review whore but if you liked it and want to tell me why then please do. Same for if you didn't like it, just don't be mean or stupid. I have no time for idiotic bigots and will not even give you the time of day. This story is marked as Yaoi in the summary and there are warnings at the beginning of the chapter also, if you do not like it then you should not read it. One more thing and then I am done tee hee. My proofreader, Rowan Lightwing, says that the blood bond thing that seems to come up in so many fics is just a "fangirl excuse to make the impossible happen between characters that would never really be together" LOL I did not mean for my portrayal of the blood bond in my story to resemble anyone else's that I have read on this site and will go more in depth as to how their bond works as the story progresses. There is a point to everything and all will be revealed in time so please be patient! I have massive school work piled up at the moment so do not expect another chapter until early next week. I have chapter 4 going pretty well but still need to do chapter 3. Anyway, enough babbling from me, see you next chapter, thanks for the favs, reviews and alerts! You made me happy

Wicked-sama

5 May 2011

Word count 1859


	3. Chapter 3 Time Ain't on My Side

A few important points to this tale: In this story the blood bond is nothing more than being able to feel their partner or keep the bond blocked if they want to. Also, I am going with there only being 6 pureblood vampires in all. I am going to be using the purebloods from the manga even though some that have died in the original story have not died in mine (yet :P). Kaname killed Shizuka and Rido died at the same time as Haruka so there will not be much of them in the story except for some minor details in flashbacks.

So here is chapter 3! This one is going to give us a little insight into what is going on with Kaname, both in the present and in the past. You get to find out WHY Kaname left Zero now! Hope you like it! I really do not want to read about Freud…General Psychology may well be the death of me…

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight nor the song Burning for You

Burning for You

Chapter 3

Time Ain't on My Side

Kaname stared, unseeing, out the window. He had his back to the desk, unable to stay focused on the boring reports from the newly established Vampire Council. Takuma was at the head of the new council and so far things were going as smoothly as could be expected. The council that Kaname had put in place also believed in co-existence between humans and vampires. He and Takuma had carefully selected each member so there would not be a repeat of what had happened while Ichiou was the council head. Since Kaname had killed the whole previous council there were fewer of the old traditionalist vampire nobles left. Thankfully, Takuma was nothing like his grandfather and Kaname knew he was more than capable to lead the council. The new council was younger, more open to progressive ideas and not power hungry or manipulative. They worked closely with the Hunter's Association in coordinating efforts toward similar goals.

The night class had been hard at work after leaving Cross Academy. Hanabusa had developed a new kind of blood substitute that worked so well it kept level D's from falling, even without having had the blood of their maker. He continued conducting various experiments with blood substitutes in an attempt to find an alternative that gave the vampires a supply that was as close to real blood as possible. Kaname had to admit that the current tablets eliminated the need for blood better than any of the substitutes had before although vampire physiology dictated that they still craved the blood of their chosen partner. Kain was currently running the Kuran business interests with Ruka so that their pureblood leader could give all his attention to a project that the others were not privy to. Yuuki was living with Kaien Cross while she finished her education. She and her brother had discovered that neither of them harbored romantic feelings for the other and broke off their arranged engagement. Kaname also knew that his sister was safe as long as she had Cross watching over her. She and the headmaster were actively trying to reestablish the night class. Cross had had the Moon Dorms rebuilt and Yuuki was calling to the vampire community to enroll their children in the academy, encouraging them all to join in their efforts for co-existence. Shiki and Rima were still modeling but agreed to come back to the night class to support their pureblood princess leader. Things were moving along well indeed.

The current state of affairs was a great relief to Kaname even though he knew he could not let his guard down. His time was consumed with maneuvering the other remaining purebloods into fighting amongst themselves in a quest for power. He was hoping that several of them would kill each other in the process and make his part in it a little easier. He knew he was the strongest of their race but there was no way he would be able to fight all of them alone and succeed so he had to manipulate them into doing his work for him. Sara Shirabuki was giving him a bit of trouble though. He had managed to, so far, keep her from finding what she sought but she was clever and getting closer all the time, though he found it rather amusing that she was going in the wrong direction completely since no one knew the whole story, save Kaname and Seiren. Sara's efforts were fruitless but she could be a formidable threat if she were to learn the truth. It looked like he was going to have to remove her completely in the near future. This was disappointing to Kaname because she had, unbeknownst to her, been helping him along quite nicely in eliminating the other purebloods. Now, though, she was too close to his secret. It was too great a risk to Zero's life and Kaname was unwilling to compromise the younger man's safety. Sara needed to be neutralized. He just hoped he could get a little more use of her first.

The problem at hand was consuming Kaname. Everything he was doing was to save Zero, even staying out of his life and letting him believe the terrible lie that Kaname did not love him anymore. He could feel the other man's emotions through the bond constantly. The moments of peace in the silverette's life were very few and far between. Kaname knew the pain his love was in all too well, he was able to feel his own pulsing right along with Zero's. A constant feeling of not being able to breathe, as if there was a tight band squeezing his chest and compressing his lungs. He could sense every bit of emotion that Zero experienced. Hate, rage, desperation, rejection, heartbreak, and pleasure, to name but a few. He hated those moments the most, knowing that another man was taking Zero broke him in such a way that Kaname did not know how he could ever recover from it. He had known that his ex-lover had some sort of relationship with Kaito Takamiya, though it was obvious that Zero did not love the other hunter. Their sexual encounters were rare and the pureblood was pretty sure that Zero was usually drunk when they did happen. The ex-human had taken up drinking heavily about six months after Kaname left. He was neglecting himself by not eating or sleeping much. The steady infusion of alcohol and blood tablets seemed to be what kept him going, barely. Kaito stopped by a few times a week, always with take out to eat. He did the best he could to get his friend to take care of himself not only because Cross and Yagari asked him to but because Kaito had sworn to always be at the younger hunter's side, even if he never gained his love. The older hunter was keeping Zero alive and for that, at least, Kaname was grateful.

Kaname did not just leave it all up to fate to keeping his lover safe, there were three vampires that rotated shifts watching Zero at all times. They had been specially trained by Seiren and Kaname trusted that they would keep the younger man out of harm's way. They knew to take the silverette into hiding, by force if necessary, should a threat surface. Seiren had set up a network of trusted allies and safe houses just in case. Not that ex-human couldn't take care of himself but if the other purebloods found out that Zero was the one they were searching for there was no way he would make it out alive. Even Kaname was not likely to survive facing five purebloods. Fortunately, they only knew of the prophecy and the rumors that the danger may be closer than they had at first thought. The damn oracle nearly ruined everything for Kaname. He just happened to be in the village when he had seen Aido-dono enter the soothsayers shop. Curious as to the other vampire's purpose, Kaname had cloaked his aura so he could eavesdrop and when the woman came close to spilling the whole truth he had sent a small blast of energy to her brain, causing her death by a stroke. He felt terribly guilty for taking her life but it was the only option. It was rather surprising that a mere human had actually possessed the gift of precognition. He certainly wished he had such a gift. Six years without Zero was like a thousand years of torture. He could only pray that all his planning, manipulation, and protections he had set up would be enough for him to be victorious. He had to save Zero.

He rested his neck on the back of chair, now staring at the ceiling. Sighing, Kaname remembered the day that everything started to fall apart.

_6 and half years ago…_

_Takuma knocked lightly on Kaname's door before entering to deliver urgent information from Seiren and the vampire council. Zero had the most desirable blood he had ever tasted and a strange aura that felt off somehow. It was almost as if it had been suppressed, somehow, but it was there, lurking just below the surface. He was also confused as to how Zero was able to resist the control of his would be master, Shizuka. He had been able to break free of the hold she had over him. This was unheard of even if the controlled vampire was of the noble class so how could a mere level D resist so effectively? Kaname had casually questioned his close circle of friends to see if they noticed anything odd about Zero and there had been no indication that he was anything other than a level d to them. That was definitely helpful. If only purebloods were able to feel the power than the young hunter was that much safer. Kaname was worried that the strange power could potentially hurt Zero so he had Seiren track down every bit of rare and obscure hunter lore to see if the secret was held there._

"_Kaname you must look at this right away, she says it cannot wait," he informed his pureblood friend."There is also an urgent message from the Council" Takuma handed an ancient looking book and some thick envelopes to Kaname._

"_Thank you Takuma," Kaname replied, reaching for them. _

_Takuma smiled brightly and excused himself from the room as his friend turned his attention to the matters of urgency. After the door was closed Kaname sighed and opened the first envelope, from Seiren. It was a short note._

_Kaname-sama,_

_This book has the answers you seek. It is the only one of its kind and has been passed down through the line of the first true hunter. This is the same book that all hunter families pass down through their own bloodlines, save for the pages I have marked that are of particular interest in regards to this matter. I am now in the process of finding the item that is needed to complete the awakening and will be returning to the academy as soon as it is in my possession. _

_Seiren_

_Intrigued, Kaname quickly scanned through the book. It started with a brief history of how the hunters came to be. There were also spells, charms and information on the forging of hunter weapons. He felt a long forgotten pain stir within himself as he read of the sacrifice his lover of long ago had made. Pushing aside the unhappy memories he began to read the pages that Serien had marked. Kaname already knew most of the story but was shocked when he read of what that woman had actually done so long ago._

_Just as the Vampire race began with humans, the hunters began with a vampire. She gave her blood, body, and life for the hunters to gain the power to kill vampires. The old one had known that vampires were a perversion of nature, something never meant to exist. She also knew that the humans would never be safe as long as vampires walked the earth. This was the driving force behind the final spell that she cast the day she ended her life for the greater good. Not even Kaname had known what she had done. That was told to the first human-turned-hunter and he alone would be responsible for passing the knowledge on through his hunter line. She had taught this one man the spells and secrets that would help the hunters rise to defend all humans. After he had learned all she had to teach she placed one hand on his forehead and the other over his heart while murmuring in a language the hunter did not understand. In him she placed a large piece of her soul that she had bound to a spell that would mix with the soul of the hunter, effectively connecting them for eternity. Her last gift to him was the book with charms, spells, and an explanation about how the spell would one day awaken her soul fragment in one of his future descendants. The child would be born to the most powerful and ancient line of the hunter clans. He would be the perfect balance of hunter, vampire and human, the only one in existence. This unique child would be the biggest threat there had ever been to the vampire race, he was meant to destroy them with the power that had been fused to his soul._

"_Zero…" he whispered in disbelief. The prophesied child was his lover. And strangely, a sort of reincarnation of the woman he had loved so many lifetimes ago since a piece of her soul lived within Zero. Maybe that had a little bit to do with them falling in love, Kaname smiled at the idea of that. _

_All those years ago he was conducting experiments to see how he could suppress vampirism, before the very humans he had been protecting for generations had driven him away for being a monster. Now, in his hands he held the key to doing just that. His lover held the power to change vampires into humans. It was similar to what his mother had done with Yuuki when she gave her life, turning the young girl into a human to protect her from her their uncle Rido. The three Kuran siblings had all perished that day, Haruka and Rido each dealt the other fatal blows, Juuri casting the spell on Yuuki. Even though they had not been his true parents they had raised him as their own and he loved them dearly. Losing them and Yuuki's memories had almost been too much to take. He did not have the heart to turn the girl back into a vampire and have her suffer the loss of their parents so he it bore it alone. No one knew that the Kuran princess existed so he took her to Cross and asked the man to take care of her and keep her safe. Kaien had a special relationship with the Kuran's and was devastated to learn of the death of his dear friends but readily agreed to care for Yuuki in honor of their sacrifice. _

_Kaname set the book aside and opened the letter from the council. Reading its contents he drew his breath in sharply. The council had discovered an old legend in an ancient scroll that was found in the home of Shizuka Hio after her death at Kaname's hand. It had been in the Hio family for over five hundred years. The Hio ancestor had been told by a prophet of the child that would be born to destroy the vampire race. It was the same story from the book Kaname possessed, only saying that it would be a hunter child, not that the child would be born the first hunter line. The pureblood felt some relief that the foretelling was so vague. There was nothing more than that. It could be any hunter child. The council wanted to immediately begin searching for whoever the person was so they could kill him or her. The pureblood knew he would have to go along with their wishes for now to keep Zero's true identity unknown. Kaname's mind flew into action as the final pieces that completed the puzzle fell into place. Zero was the child of prophecy and the council knew that he existed, even if they did not know who held they were looking for yet. That and Zero's vampirism would help to keep Zero safe until Kaname was able to remove the threat to his love's life. Thankfully, the ex-human's vampire side kept his true self hidden from all but purebloods it seemed. As long as Zero was away from the other purebloods no one would catch on. Kaname also decided to ask Hanabusa to try to find a way for Zero's aura to be hidden from purebloods. He would have to get Seiren to assign the best guards to keep an eye on his lover from the shadows at all times. The pureblood could not afford to leave his lover unprotected. Placing the books and letters in his hidden safe he locked away the dangerous secret so that no one, including Zero would be able to find out the truth. As much as he hated keeping something like this from his lover there was just no other way. He needed Seiren to find the final item and return soon. They had a lot of plans to make. There was a big power struggle coming between the purebloods and Kaname had to make sure that his silver haired lover was no part of it. _

Kaname pulled himself from thoughts of the past as a flash of sadness came across the bond. He wondered what was bothering the hunter. Noticing that it was almost dawn he drew the curtains and headed to the bathroom for a hot bath.

Zero lay on his bed in his dimly lit room looking at the picture he kept in the drawer. A calloused finger ran itself lightly down the face of Kaname in the picture. He missed Kaname so much that it was becoming harder and harder to stay angry when he really just wanted to be in the purebloods arms.

Wicked-sama

Word Count 2879

11 May 2011

This was a long chapter! I am super sleepy and hope this made sense. Enjoy and I will get something more to you as soon as I can. I am behind on some homework so I need to spend a couple days or so getting caught up.

The next chapter will be a little Kaito/Zero

Thanks for the reviews, favs, and alerts!


	4. Chapter 4 Home Isn't My Way

Here is chapter 4! There is a little action between Zero and Kaito ahead. Hopefully you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight, the song Burning for You or Mallrats.

Burning for You

Chapter 4

Home Isn't My Way

Kaito

Even though he had very little sleep the night before and was still nursing some injuries from the hunt, Zero was not at all tired. He had finally finished with his special dessert preparation and gotten everything put away for service the next day. His felt his best this week were the sweet strawberry tarts. They were individual servings and with a delicate, flaky shell that had a layer of dark chocolate ganache, then a layer of the strawberries topped with a dark chocolate mousse and chocolate shavings. He was happy with how everything had turned out. He had even made a few extra quiches for the following breakfast rush since they were anticipating a sizeable crowd and he knew that they sold out of those faster than anything other than his weekly treats. Turning off the lights he grabbed his things and left through the back door only to find Kaito leaning against the wall with a large bag of Chinese takeout in his hand.

"What do you want Kaito?" Zero snapped, exhausted as he locked the door.

"Well seeing as how you refuse to take care of yourself properly I decided to bring you some dinner and hang out for a while," the brunette replied with a smile.

"Whatever. Let's go then."

The two men headed off into the early morning hours, silently walking the blocks to Zero's apartment. At least the location was convenient to his job and the Hunter's Association.

Kaito walked slightly behind Zero, watching his graceful movements as he moved toward his home. It was harder to see with the clothes he was wearing at the moment but Kaito knew that the silverette was far too thin. This is why he showed up a couple of times each week with some kind of take out. Strangely, even though they had not gotten along well as children, Zero now seemed to trust Kaito and he was the only person he would let near him on a regular basis. This is how Kaito ended up being the go-between for Zero's "fathers" Cross and Yagari. They were fiercely worried for the young man but he kept them at arm's length, refusing to see them most of the time.

Even as children, Kaito had always liked the silver-haired boy. He knew from the start that Ichiru was a slippery shit, not to be trusted, even if his twin was blind to his scheming. But Zero, oh he was another story. Honesty and honor blazed in his eyes and he trained harder than any of the other boys, even though he was younger. Back then Zero did not have the strong hatred for vampires that he developed once he was turned into one. He loved his twin more than anything and often fought the other boys, including Kaito, for picking on his baby brother. Zero knew it was not Ichiru's fault that he was born weaker and would not likely be strong enough to be a hunter. The Kiryuu legacy rested with Zero alone but he bore the burden with strength and grace. Kaito admired him very much back then. He still did. Loved him, actually, and it had only taken one brilliant smile.

_Zero and Ichiru 9, Kaito 12_

"_Zero! Zero!" yelled the younger twin breathlessly as he ran toward his older brother._

"_Ichiru!" cried Zero, "Stop running!" the older boy yelled worriedly as he ran to meet him. _

_He threw his arms around his younger self and leaned his forehead onto his twins. _

"_Ichiru you can't run around like this" he said softly. "I don't want you to get sick."_

"_Zero I know my health is poor but please do not treat me like a doll that is going to break," he replied, exasperated. Honestly, his brother was too overprotective sometimes! "I brought you something!" he told the other boy._

_Zero pulled back from Ichiru, a small smile playing around his lips. But it was not his petal pink lips that caught Kaito's eye. It was the way his eyes sparkled as he looked at his brother. Ichiru pulled an orange out of his pocket and handed it to Zero whose smile then lit up his whole face as he threw his arms around his younger twin. Kaito thought it was breathtaking. He knew then he would do anything to keep that smile on Zero's face, even if it was never directed at him. Not that he stopped picking on him. A blushing, furious Zero was almost as beautiful as a smiling, happy Zero. _

_Kaito had only trained with the twins for a short while before he moved on to the higher level and started going on missions. He still saw the twins occasionally as technically Yagari was his master but he was so busy with his training and missions that it was not often enough for him. After the death of the Kiryuu hunters and Zero being turned into a vampire, Kaito cut all ties to Zero. It was impossible for him to face the truth of what the one he loved most had become. It hurt as much as it would have if Zero had been killed that day. He was heartbroken that he had lost another loved one to a pureblood beast and could not face him for fear he would not be able to keep his heart hardened against the boy he knew was living on borrowed time. Had he known what path the silverette's life was going to take he would have thrown caution to the wind and tried to be with Zero to the end. He even would have taken his life, no matter the cost to his own heart, when the inevitable fall to level E hit Zero. He would have done anything for Zero._

Kaito would still do anything for the silver haired vampire. He just wasn't sure how to break through the despair Zero had fallen into after that pureblood beast left him. But oh how he wanted to. He wanted to be the one to put him back together and make him whole again. Especially now that Zero would not likely fall to level E. He would be forever grateful that Yagari and Cross had reunited the young hunters. Being able to stay at the silver haired hunter's side was enough, for now. He had not given up hope of one day winning the younger man's heart.

They reached the front of Zero's building and Kaito stopped musing about the past. It wouldn't do any good now. It was not like he could change the things that had already happened. Zero unlocked the door and held it open so Kaito could pass through with the food. Now that they were in better light Kaito was able to see the dark circles under the other man's eyes. He winced when Zero took off his chef's jacket and he saw how much thinner Zero had gotten in the short weeks since Kaito had last seen him.

"Zero!" he exclaimed, "Have you been eating anything at all? You look like shit. No wonder Cross and Yagari worry so much about you. You need more than blood tablets you know," he admonished.

"Shut up Kaito. I don't need you mothering me too! Why do you think I tell those two to stay away from me? If this is how you are going to act then you can get the fuck out!" Zero hissed at him while pointing to the door.

"Calm down Zero. I was just surprised and I cannot help but worry about you when I see you this way" he explained. "I was only overseas for a month and you look like a refugee that has not eaten in at least as long."

"I don't need you to worry Kaito. Things are fine. I have just been doing extra missions for the Association lately and it leaves me little time for much other than sleeping when I can," was his reply.

Kaito turned back to the kitchen and grabbed two plates out of the cupboard as Zero grabbed napkins and cutlery. They sat at the table and served the food. Zero wrinkled his nose and picked the mushrooms out of the chow mein.

"You know I hate mushrooms yet still get them . Is it really too hard to ask for them to leave them out?" he almost whined at the other man.

Kaito laughed heartily and said, "You never change Z. Always so adorable when you are bitching about what you don't like."

Zero blushed but did not say anything else, choosing instead to pick out the rest of the offending mushrooms and then viciously stabbing at his noodles before twirling them around his fork. He set his fork down and reached into his pocket for his blood tablets. He took six and dropped them into his water glass. Once they were dissolved he drained the glass. As he set the glass back down he noticed Kaito staring at him curiously.

"What's the problem now Kaito?" he demanded. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Nothing Z. That was quite the amount of blood tablets though. You sure you are ok?" he asked the other man.

"Don't worry. I'm not falling to level E. The night before last I was rocked pretty hard on a mission and during the pursuit I lost my tablets. I am just a little sore still and need to build my strength back up." He told Kaito.

Zero began moving his food around rather than eating after only a few bites. The older hunter bit his lip, wondering is he should say anything. Against his better judgment he decided to try to get the silverette to eat a bit more.

"Hey Z, how about you eat a little more? You look like it would do you a lot of good," Kaito suggested.

"It still tastes like mushrooms Kaito!" Zero yelled. "If you want me to eat properly than try bringing something I actually like next time," the younger man grumbled.

Chuckling Kaito reached a hand over to cup Zero's face. "You want me to come see you again Zero? Careful, I might think you are finally falling for me." He teased.

Zero smacked Kaito's hand away from his face, blushing brightly and growled "Don't fucking touch me. And I will never fall for you, idiot."

Kaito dropped his hand to his lap and tried to keep the pain from reaching his eyes. It was so hard for him to see what had become of his beloved. He knew the other man had the right to be bitter. His life had been a cruel one. And the younger man hadn't done anything to deserve what had happened to him. They continued eating in silence and finished quickly. Zero cleared the table and stored the leftovers in the fridge then quickly washed the dishes while Kaito dried and put them away.

"Are you up for a movie?" Zero asked the other as he grabbed two shot glasses and a half full bottle of whiskey from the cupboard.

"Sure Z, what sounds good?" came the reply.

Zero stopped at the movie shelf and looked through the few titles he owned, settling on Mallrats.

"This sounds good at the moment," said Zero, waving the movie case toward Kaito. "I am in the mood for something funny."

"Nice pick man. I love that one guy freaking out about the kid on the escalator" he said, laughing.

Zero put the movie in while Kaito flicked the T.V. on with the remote. The younger boy moved to sit on the couch next to the other and poured them each a shot of whiskey. He quickly downed his and poured another, recapping the bottle and leaning back to sip his other shot. Kaito started the movie and they both settled comfortably on the couch. While they were watching the movie the older hunter kept sneaking glances of Zero from the corner of his eyes, trying to hide his wandering eyes with his fringe. He noticed that it was not long before Zero was downing shots. Kaito sighed and felt somewhat relieved that the bottle was almost gone. Leaning forward he poured another for himself and drank it quickly only to refill his glass again. At least Zero was not going to be able to get too wasted. His eyes were a little heavy and glazed but other than that he seemed fine. Soon the younger man's head was resting on the others shoulder as he dozed off. Kaito wrapped his arm around the vampire and gently stroked his hair while gazing at the beautiful sleeping face. He sighed and thought about the strange relationship that they had. Whenever Zero was feeling particularly vulnerable he would let Kaito fuck him. Yes, fuck. That is all that Zero would allow between them. Kaito wanted desperately to make sweet, tender love to the younger man that held his heart, but Zero would never let him. It was all rough, sweaty and dirty. Zero would not even let Kaito take him face to face though the older man really, really wanted to. He wanted nothing more than to see his lovers face in the throes of passion, other than winning his love of course. Kaito had surprised himself more than he had Zero when he asked the vampire to take his blood. Somehow it was comforting to the older man to know that a piece of him would always be in Zero.

The first time Zero had bitten him was the single most mind blowing experience of his entire life. Zero had been behind him, his arms wrapped around Kaito's waist, slowly stroking the older man's hardening length while nipping and sucking the skin above the pulsing vein in his neck. Just when he thought he would go mad from the teasing stimulation Zero swiftly plunged his fangs into the tender skin, drawing the blood into his mouth. He began stroking faster and soon the brunette was bucking up into his hand and moaning loudly. The pleasure of having his blood taken while Zero was jerking him off was indescribable. The younger man coated the fingers on his other hand with the pre cum that had begun leaking from the rigid member and moved down to tease Kaito's entrance before slipping a finger inside. He moved in and out slowly, still stroking his lover's cock and soon his other digit had joined the first, curling and probing for the spot that would send Kaito over the edge. He knew he had found it when the older man arched back and tried to push himself harder onto Zero's fingers. The vampire pulled his fangs out of the hunter's neck and licked the small holes until they closed, still working the others body with both hands. He hit Kaito's prostate again and again until he finally came harder than he ever had before. His body sagged against the younger man as he came down from the high of his orgasm. Zero had then quietly moved away and asked Kaito if he wanted to stay the night. He did not seem very interested in having Kaito pleasure him in return but it appeared that he did not want to be alone. The older male was more than happy to grant the request and he was soon spooning Zero as the he drifted off to sleep. Kaito stayed awake for a while longer, wishing that their relationship would someday become more. For now though, he would gladly accept whatever Zero wanted to offer. Something of Zero was better than nothing at all and at least he was able to stay at his side, even if it his feelings were not reciprocated.

A/N - Ok I am going to end it here for now otherwise it is going to get way too long. I have a few ideas for the next chapter but it is going to be a little while before I can get to it. Please be patient with me. This quarter of school ends for me In 23 days so I have lots of studying and exams to do. I have a break coming after that until July so I will be able to get a lot done on the story then. Most of the background of the main characters has now been set up and the story will now move forward a little more quickly I think. Thanks again to everyone who reviewed, fav'd, alerted and read this chapter. See you again soon!

Wicked-sama

12 May 2011

Word Count - 2665


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